Chapter 14

Talking

"Will you stop poking me?! I'm trying to do my homework," Ashley complained at Jacob.

She was lying on her stomach doing her homework on her bed and Jacob as next to her in the same position.

He poked her side again.

She put her pen down, "Seriously, this paper is due tomorrow. I promise I'll play fetch with you after."

He rolled her to where he was on top of her.

She tried to roll them back but she couldn't, "You are too strong."

He stroked her cheek, "Yeah. I don't want to play fetch. I want to play something else…"

She looked at him questioningly.

He leaned down to kiss her passionately.

She kissed him back.

Her homework was forgotten.

All she knew was Jacob.

Her cellphone began to ring, by this time, his shirt was already off and hers was almost there.

She sighed, "I should get that," she said as she reached for it.

He stopped her, "I don't think so," as he kissed her neck.

"But it might be important," she tried to complain but all she felt was him in between her legs.

She looked at the caller ID, "Its Bella."

He stopped and got off of her.

She sat up behind him, kissed his back before answering the phone.

"Hello," she said breathless.

Jacob could hear both sides of the conversation.

"Can you come over?"

"Is something wrong?" Ashley asked.

"No, nothing is wrong. I just haven't seen you outside of school for a couple of days because of your new boyfriend."

Ashley looked at Jacob and he was looking back at her.

"Yeah, we just have been…getting to know each other. I mean like finding out what our favorite color is," she said as she blushed.

"I'm sure," Bella laughed, "Is he there now?"

"Yeah, he's here. Distracting me from my homework," she punched him playfully.

"So, can you come over for a while?"

"Yeah, of course. I'll be right over," she said as she hung up, "I have to see Bella," she said to Jacob.

"Why?" he asked.

"She didn't say. You would know, I know you could hear the conversation," she got up to put on her shoes.

Jacob stood up from the bed. He still doesn't have his shirt on, "I don't want you to go over. He might be there."

"I don't think he is. I'm a big girl, I can make own decisions," she said grabbing a coat.

He grabbed her hands, "Let me go too."

"If she wanted you to come too, I'm sure she would have invited you."

"Did you think that maybe why she didn't because the blood sucker is there?" he asked.

"I think Edward went out…hunting tonight," she said awkwardly.

He let go of her hands.

"Can I go now?" she asked.

"Yeah, I guess. I don't sense him in the area anyway."

"Thank you for your permission," she said sarcastically.

"I'm sorry. I don't want you getting hurt because of one of them," he said.

She sighed, "I know. I'm sorry," she kissed him, "Are you going to be here when I get back? We were interrupted," she asked suggestively.

"I thought you had homework," he laughed.

"It can wait."

"I have patrol."

"Oh."

"Some other time then?" he asked.

"Definitely," she said.

XXX

Ashley walked down the street to Bella's house. Once there she rang the doorbell, Charlie answered, "Hey Sheriff, I'm here to see Bella."

Charlie looked at her, "She's up stairs. You can call me Charlie."

"Okay," she walked past him and up the stairs.

Ashley stood in the doorway watching Bella looking out her window into the woods.

She knocked and got her attention.

"Sorry took me so long," Ashley said.

"That's okay. I figured Jake wouldn't let you go so easily."

"I'm sure you have gotten the speech before. And probably a speech from Edward. So, what did you want to see me about?"

"I wanted to let you know that Edward and I are going to Phoenix to see my Mom. It was part of my birthday present a few months ago. The plane tickets are going to expire soon," Bella said.

"Oh, that should be fun. Edward in Phoenix with people around. What if he blinds people with his sparkle power?" she asked with a laugh.

"I'm starting to regret me telling you that," she said annoyed.

"I was bound to find out eventually. I was glad I was told first instead of witnessing it," she laughed.

Bella gave her a look, "I'm sorry, Bella, if you were in my shoes you would find it funny too."

Bella laughed.

"So, do you want me to get your assignments or something?" Ashley asked.

"No, I think Alice has that covered. I just wanted to warn you in case Jake asks you a million questions."

"Why would he ask me a million questions?"

"He would want to know if we left the state…for Edward to change me," Bella said.

"Oh," she looked down, "That's still a possibility."

"It's a fact. We haven't set a date. This trip is not for that."

"Okay, I'll report that to the enemy," Ashley said sarcastically.

"Ashley, don't be that way please."

"I'm sorry. That's what Jake is to you. You want to be part of the Cullen family and Jake becomes your enemy. And I'm stuck in the middle because you're my friend and his my boyfriend."

"I know. It's not fair to you. I wish that we all can be on the same side."

"But that is never going to happen."

"I know," Bella whispered.

"I better be getting back home, I still have a paper to finish," Ashley said.

"Yeah okay, what you mean is I have to get back to Jake's booty call, tramp," Bella said jokily.

"Oh yeah, but remember you are going to be the sparkling tramp one day," Ashley retorted back jokily.

"Shut up," Bella said.

"Bye," Ashley waved and left her bedroom.

XXX

Ashley got home to her room to find that Jacob had in deed left to go patrol.

She thought she was alone.

"I see you went to talk to Bella," Edward said from the dark corner in her room.

She turned around at the sound of his voice, "Shit Edward! Don't do that!"

He turned on a lamp, "I'm sorry, I've come to talk to you."

"I don't think you should have come, Jake is going to smell that you were here. I have enough trouble of convincing him that you are not going to hurt me. This is not going to help your case," she said.

"Maybe he is right," he warned her.

She looked at him, "Have you tried telling Bella this?"

"I have but she doesn't listen," he said.

She laughed, "I have the same problem."

"Yes, Bella has told me that you have tried talking her out of her…future plans."

"Not much of a future if you are dead," she whispered.

Edward looked at her sadly.

"It's nothing personal against you," she said.

"I understand."

"What did you want to talk to me about?"

"Bella told you that we were going to Phoenix?"

"Yes."

"I hope that this trip to see her mother will change her mind about the future plans she wants to make," he said.

"You think it will work?"

"I hope so."

"Why?"

"As much as I love Bella, I don't want to damn her soul," he said sadly.

"But you guys would be together forever. If you damned her, that wouldn't matter as long as you guys were together."

"I don't think Bella as fully understood what she is giving up as a human."

"I think it's going to take more than a trip to see her mother. She sees her father every day and that doesn't change her decision."

"If she doesn't change her mind, this will give her a chance to say goodbye to her mother," he said.

Ashley looked at him, "So, in the end, you will still go ahead with it?"

Edward didn't answer her.

"I should go. You still have a paper to finish," he went to the window and left.

Ashley laid down on her bed, looking up at the ceiling.

She sighed, "I don't know what to do."